USDA bundles $700M soil health fund, cuts staff by 20%
USDA dedicated $700M to regenerative farming through consolidated federal program, but concurrent 2,400-person NRCS staff cut threatens on-ground deployment capacity.
USDA Palantir $300M Farm Data Platform Deploys at Scale
USDA signed a $300M Blanket Purchase Agreement with Palantir to modernize farm services and food-supply security infrastructure via the Landmark platform, which processed $4.4B in aid within five days of launch.
Microsoft Buys 1 Million Biochar Credits from Liferaft in 10-Year Deal
Microsoft has signed a 10-year offtake agreement with Iowa-based Liferaft for 1 million biochar carbon removal units — the largest such deal in U.S. history — signalling that bankable demand is now the primary lever for scaling durable carbon removal infrastructure.